My Duty
by Radiant Storm
Summary: Bruce's thoughts on his parent's deaths and how it effected him. My first fan fiction. Reviews welcome. I do not own Batman or any other characters.


**Author's Note**

**Hey guys, I'm Radiant Storm and this is my first fan fiction so I'm new to all this. First off please excuse me for any spelling or grammatical errors I don't have a beta. Second, this story was one of those ideas you just start and don't stop till you finish so I wrote it and was happy with it but later I realized there was a mistake. When Bruce's parents die it is one quick act and when I wrote this I did not think about that so I put in one line from Martha to Bruce. But once I realized this I didn't have the heart to take it out. It just fit so perfect and held a lot of emotion in the story. So I added in a couple of extra seconds of the Wayne's lives because if they did get one last look at Bruce I think this is what would happen so please excuse me of that too. So enjoy**

Two thunderous gunshots rang through the thick air. And like that all innocence was gone. All the enjoyment of childhood was gone, like a gentle whisper carried away by the raging winds. That night the fire, the passion for justice was born. As I lay hopelessly broken over my parents dead bodies, it ignited. And it only grew. The image of the gunman's eyes...so monstrous. So unnatural and demonic. Evil has set loose in the heart of man. What I set out to stop. Their bodies now became abnormally cold. They were gone, with no chance of coming back. Why wasn't I taken with them? Why after such a horrendous crime, would the man find compassion on me? Why was I spared? For that night that was my only wish was to be taken with them. There was no use for trying to wish them back, fate had already taken it's downward turn, never to come back up. Yet under all the grief that numbed me that night, I found my answer, hidden in logic. I found my purpose. I found my duty. I found my fate. I found my destiny. To save humanity from the ruthless and sadistic acts of savage monsters, to save the innocent from what I am a victim of. As silent tears fell, I realized I must not be weak, but strong because they need me. My parents need me to save what they spent their whole lives fighting for, the innocent's safety. I must be strong. I must be unstoppable. I will lock up my emotions to save others. I will shed my blood, sweat and tears to fight for the justice my parents deserved. If I can save someone, they will go on to live a life I cannot, a safe one. My duty was too great to worry of my safety. They can live the life my parents never finished. In their dying moments, my parents showed me the true meaning of love. My last look into my mother's eyes held no fear but love. A love that so deep, so self sacrificing, that look told me everything she wanted to say, no words needed. As the tears pricked her eyes she whispered almost incoherently "I love you, Bruce, my little boy, never forget" And with that she fell into eternal sleep. My father's last action showed me what true greatness is. He jumped in front of my mother, shielding her from the gunman with a look of such courage and heroism it set all other men and to shame. He loved my mother so much he implicated his own life trying to save her's, the greatest act of chivalry. His love for her passed all logic, a love beyond simple words. In his last moments of strength he looked at me with perpetual pride and love. He died a hero, doing his best to save his world, his family. Now I must do the same, I must follow my father, ready to sacrifice my life to save others like my father did for me. He payed the price for being a hero, now I pay the same. I was kept to fulfill a purpose...a duty. To save and protect. To be a hero. That night the desire to rescue was born. To save somebody from acts that make me a prisoner. To reach out to someone who needs me. To fight for those in need because... I now see myself in them, in their broken expressions. My parents will not be forgotten, I will not be forgotten. My future is decided. I will not be scared. I will not be weak. That night my decision was made and it held such force it could not be taken back. That night I fulfilled my destiny. That night I chose life. That night I chose justice. That night I became a shield for the weak. That night I chose to become the crusader for righteousness and feared by all evil in men. That night I became Batman.

**Authors Note**

**So how was it? I was pretty happy with my first fan fiction but I'll let you decide. Did I portray Bruce right? If not please tell me. I always felt that one reason Bruce became Batman was because he felt compassion for all the other victims because he was a lot like them in ways. But maybe not I'll let you review with any comments or suggestions. I would love to hear from anyone. So thank you for reading!**


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